# Decorated Rifler Ceccarello Joins UK Coaching Staff **Published:** 2026-08-14T13:31:16.000Z **Source:** [UK Athletics](https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/08/14/sofia-ceccarello-joins-uk-rifle-staff-as-graduate-assistant-coach/) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/decorated-rifler-ceccarello-joins-uk-coaching-staff LEXINGTON, Ky. — Sofia Ceccarello, one of the most decorated athletes in University of Kentucky rifle history, will remain in Lexington as a [graduate assistant coach for the 2026-27 season](https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/08/14/sofia-ceccarello-joins-uk-rifle-staff-as-graduate-assistant-coach/). Ceccarello completed a successful four-year career with the Wildcats, earning nine first-team All-America honors and helping [UK](https://ukathletics.com) to a second-place finish at the 2025 NCAA Rifle National Championships. She was named the 2026 Great America Rifle Conference Senior of the Year and earned GARC Rookie of the Year honors in 2023. "We are so excited to have Sofia staying in our program and joining our staff," UK head coach Harry Mullins said. "Sofia was an exceptional teammate during her time as an athlete and I know that experience and her love for our program will extend and continue in this new role." As a junior, Ceccarello produced her best season for Kentucky, earning first-team All-America honors in all three categories and setting an NCAA record in air rifle with a perfect 600. She helped UK finish second nationally and advanced to the NCAA Smallbore Individual Final, placing fifth. Last season, she averaged 587 in smallbore and 596.583 in air rifle, posting three smallbore scores of 590 or higher and three air rifle scores of 598 or higher, including one 599. In previous seasons, she finished fifth in both the GARC Individual Air Rifle and NCAA Individual Smallbore Finals as a sophomore and won the GARC Air Rifle Individual Championship as a freshman. A native of Ravenna, Italy, Ceccarello began competing in rifle at age 12 and has competed in several International Shooting Sport Federation events. She graduated in May 2026 with a degree in Media Arts and Studies. [UK rifle](https://ukathletics.com) is one of the most decorated programs in NCAA history, with four national titles and seven runner-up finishes under Mullins, whose 38 seasons leading the program make him the second-longest tenured coach in UK Athletics history. ## Sources - [UK Athletics](https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/08/14/sofia-ceccarello-joins-uk-rifle-staff-as-graduate-assistant-coach/) - [UK Athletics main site](https://ukathletics.com) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from UK Athletics, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/08/14/sofia-ceccarello-joins-uk-rifle-staff-as-graduate-assistant-coach/.